Telangana Legislative Assembly Speaker Pocharam Srinivas Reddy has tested positive for the coronavirus. He took to Twitter on Thursday, November 25 to reveal that he was tested positive after a COVID-19 test was conducted on him the previous night as part of regular medical tests. Pocharam tweeted that though he presently has no health problems, he has joined the Asian Institute of Gastroenterology (AIG) Hospitals at Gachibowli on the advice of doctors.
The Assembly Speaker had recently hosted the wedding of his granddaughter in Hyderabad on November 21. The event was attended by Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao and Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy. Pocharam has requested those who met him during the last few days to undergo COVID-19 tests and keep themselves under home isolation as a precautionary measure.
Pocharam's granddaughter, Snigdha Reddy, was married to Officer on Special Duty (OSD) Krishna Mohan Reddy's son Rohit Reddy at VNR farms in Hyderabad. Krishna Mohan Reddy is an OSD to the Andhra Pradesh CM’s office. Telangana Governor Tamilisai Soundararajan and several ministers and leaders of Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) and other parties had also attended the ceremony. Andhra Assembly Speaker Tammineni Seetaram has also attended the wedding, accompanying CM YS Jagan.
Pocharam is the second key leader from Telugu states to test positive in recent days. Andhra Pradesh Governor Biswabhusan Harichandan was airlifted from Vijayawada to Hyderabad on November 17 after he tested positive for the coronavirus. After undergoing treatment at AIG Hospitals in Hyderabad, he was discharged on November 23. The Governor tested positive after returning from Delhi, where he participated in the 51st Conference of Governors, Lieutenant Governors and Administrators of all states and Union Territories, which was attended by President Ram Nath Kovind, Vice President Venkaiah Naidu, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah and others.